Ever since Skype was announced for BlackBerry 10 there have been a lot questions surrounding it. Questions like when will it arrive? Will it be a native app? How well will it integrate? Will it be an Android port? Well, we don't have all of those answers yet, but it's looking like we can at the very least confirm it will be an Android port based on the information shown above which comes directly from the Skype website. Thanks, primusd!

Reader comments

Skype for BlackBerry 10 will be an Android port

Not terribly surprising. I wouldn't think Microsoft would spend too much effort making apps for the company they will be in fierce competition with for the third platform. We should be happy that Skype for Blackberry exists in any form.

If the Android port is solid, then I think it is a great addition to BB10. MS had to put at least some effort into this as BB has the ability to freeze their devices out of the secure corporate environment. I still believe that BB is building a cross platform BBM-like app that that will provide them an additional revenue stream.

I have seen quite a few apps which started as Android port but after getting popularity came up with native app which obviously looked much greater (like Flow Pie, Tomb Escape, etc).
Though I have to say that current Android apps made professionally do run quite well and sometimes you do not even notice that they are running in Android player.
So let's see the final implementation. In any case we will have native OoVoo client which is multi platform and can support upto 12 persons conference.

If QNX didn't happen (I'm glad it did), I think they could have used Android. And I think if Android was customized, they surely could have integrated BBM and their security features as exclusive options which would have differentiated themselves from the pack. Perhaps even utilized BIS/compression somehow. If that combo (Android with BBM/Security/BIS) hit early enough, I bet they would be bigger than Sammy right now.
It's an interesting thought.

Anyway, a Skype port is good enough for now. As long as it works well, it'll keep the pundits quiet for a while. Perhaps they will develop a native version in time, or be allowed to integrate it into the OS.

The folks at BlackBerry are pretty smart. They DID go with android, they just made everybody think they didn't. Blackberry 10 is nothing more than android 2.x with an amazing skin from TAT, powered by the most powerful kernal, QNX. Well done BlackBerry, well done.

You do realise that in most environments where BlackBerry Enterprise Server / BlackBerry Enterprise Service is deployed there is usually a Microsoft Exchange Server as well, right? Plus BlackBerry Enterprise Server / BlackBerry Enterprise Service run only on Microsoft Windows Server / Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. For BlackBerry to allow Microsoft to simply port the existing Google Android version of Skype to the BlackBerry OS 10 devices is sheer lunacy. BlackBerry risks the instability of Google Android bringing down the house.

Great question, will be IG available i dont care if is native or not ...??
thats why ppl are changing from BB to Android or Apple just because its apps facility... RIM/BLACKBERRY didnt hear that part! UGH!!!

If it is an Android port, I would think it would be a fairly quick turnaround to get it on the BB10. I'm no developer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've read so many articles abot how quick and easy it is to port your android app to BB10. I'm sure both sides are working to insure it works great on BB10, but I don't see this being a 'many months' kind of timeline. I'm thinking maybe next week or 2? I would imagine that work has been ongoing since or even before the announcement on the 30th. I really can't see this taking forever to get out. Unless Microsoft purposely delays things, just to make BB look bad. Wouldn't surprise me.

I would preffer native Skype but realistically Skype is about video chat and as long as that works well then Android port is fine. I would deffinetelly not settle for Android ports of Facebook, Twitter and other apps that have more features than Skype.

After reading this information, there is no reason why Netflix can't come over now. "Just port your Android app, Skype is doing it. We will help you!" At least, that is what I hope BlackBerry is saying..

This will likely be the case with almost all apps for bb10 for quite some time. until bb10 is established and has a genuine userbase, it's not economical to spend time developing native apps for it. companies do not do this until the demand is there.

no no no no.
This phone won't sell if it won't have NATIVE apps that could compete with others!!!
I'm tired to answer "i don't have that, it will come soon to blackberry.
Come on!!!! what's the f*cking point to spend 490£ on a great looking phone if it's can't even compete with other phones.
I'm really tired to hold with blackberry, just won't take another disappointment

There are a lot of apps in App World that are actually Android ports. When they are done by the actual developer and well designed, they run perfectly; and sometimes you don't even notice they are ports.

Just move on to a different platform. I'm tired of people crying and complaining of what's not yet on the platform. No other platform was ever launched with 70,000 apps (and this is just the beginning). Quit bellyaching.

We have OoVoo and Face Flow native in BB10 (for cross platform) in addition to awesome BBM video for BB<->BB. BBRY is work hard to get all the developers. Actually its achievement to get the direct competitor's product Skype in any form on BB10 (I read comment by Lucas on N4BB.COM that he tried this port and it is awesome, even the prompts have been tweaked to look more like BB10, so its more than a mere port).

Because M$ doesn't want to support to competition. There is no reason for a port not to have been ready by launch, & yet here we are, a week after launch & still no Skype. With Alec's offer, Skype could have been on BB10 without ANY cost to M$, but that's not exactly what they want. They have to bring it to BB because there are a lot of their users demanding it...but they will do what they can to make it reflect badly on BB

Maybe they don't, but they are forced to. It isn't just black and white. If they neglect a customer base then they are also neglecting potential market share - fact. Same reason MS is making Office for Apple products when they basically could say fuck off.
And again, same reason why they continue to support Skype on every other mobile platform.

So much for "Skype are committed" lol, so commited they aren't even building a native app, I guess it makes sense for Skype until they see a demand and large user base on BB10 devices, I don't mind the port aslong as it works fine, just quite the hype. Please.

Actually old fart - can not believe you called me kiddo - the average user won't know Skype is an android port, stories of freezing are not every device, and while it's lacking a few features for the most part it seems to be a most solid first release of a platform. I take the complaints here with a grain of salt as some people are obviously hunting for issues to have. And there's nothing wrong with the camera.

I think RIM should take the Android code and reverse engineer the communications protocols and write their own native version if Skype doesn't want to make the investment.

The UI on the Android version of Skype is just marginally better than the Windows Phone version, and frankly the whole thing needs to be redone for "Peek & Flow" in order to work properly: The iPhone version is passable, but really, BB10's UX paradigm could do a much better version of Skype... design the contact list like the Hub with "All" at the top, and then different categories (Skype All, Skype Online only, stored phone numbers etc) and of course integrate into the Contact List so there's a field for each contact to enter their skype account(s) and then you have "Skype on BB10".

An Android port is a stopgap: only a native app is acceptable, to me.

EDIT: That post was a reply to a question, and the poster was a "community moderator". I'm not 100% certain that he has all his facts straight, but I wager that someone at RIM like Alec or Thor would know for certain if we can expect a Native version anytime soon.

I would take an Android port in the interim, but I'd like a little more clarification on if and when a Native app is coming. That is, if no one (Skype nor BB) is even WORKING on a Native version, I would like to know that, too. "Glass Half Empty" promises aren't really acceptable any more.

So:
half empty: Android port of Skype is it.
half full: Android port for now, Native is in development for release by Mid 2013.

honestly this is terrible. Not what you want to hear. Luckily i don't use it so it won't affect me. I also have a Lumia 920 and i've uninstalled the app because it's so terrible on the platform (and to think it's owned by Microsoft)

You are so correct!!! This is bad news and is why most Blackberry users in the US have 2 phones. The blackberry is still superior for email and BBM....but that's it. So for me when it comes to work, my 9900 along with my Playbook are awesome. But come vacation,a weekend relaxing, a night on the town, or catching up with family using skype or the other cross-platform messaging apps my iPhone 4s and iPad Mini are the tools of choice.

I'll wait a little longer until I dive into BB10. Give them time to fix all the developer relationships/application porting etc. Android apps on the playbook aren't that great but like Keystone Light (beer) or cheep whiskey...it'll get you there. But the user experience is horrible.

for u to make such an assinine statement shows how much u visit CB and how intellectually teenaged you are. There are A LOT of us who have ripped BB a new rear end for the debacle that has happened over the past few years. The thing is this is a new day. Keep up. Users like you should stick to WikiTude for your info. Moron

Does this mean you have to side load it? Or will it be available in BlackBerry World? If you have to side load it - BlackBerry can forget about my mother and father (and many others) buying a Z10. It has to be easy for them or they will just go to competition.

No need to side-load, BlackBerry will list it in World for us. This whole native/port issue is just a matter of how the app was developed, not where it will be available from. A lot of (good) apps on the PlayBook and Z10 are Android ports and work very well.

Well said. It should not matter to end user as long as it will work with good performance. So let's wait for it to land before making any judgements. Already there are so many quality apps Android port and they works perfectly, actually you will not notice that it is Android port.

Thanks for clearing that up. I have a PlayBook and have sideloaded apps. I was afraid I was going to have to start explaining to people the process. As long as it works through BBW I am all in! I am kind of glad the Z10 hasn't been released in the US yet. I am learning so much from others right now. I should be ready to go in March!

I dont care if it is an Android port for the time being, I honestly think that Skype is just testing out the market to see if it is a viable market to develop a native app for. So even if you dont care about Skype...DOWNLOAD IT!!!! if Skype and MS see there is a large enough fanbase to support them putting resources into a Native app will be the next step! SO DOWNLOAD as we all want the native app!

On the other point being mentioned here...BBM as a cross-platform solution would be AMAZING! I am not sure if BBRY is looking into this, if not they totally should be! My idea is that BBRY should make BBM and its features available for iOS and Android for a limited time...full-access to all BBM capabilities (text, voice, and video calling). After the limited time is up (3-6 months of free usage) BBRY will make it a paid app (either monthly subscription, or one time purchase). If users love BBM they can purchase the app for iOS or Android and it will connect to all devices. Although the paid version will take away the video chat capabilities and possibly voice calling, in order to entice users to switch to BB to get the full experience.

This solution will result in a HUGE increase in BBM users as so many people with iOS or Android loved their BB before and will absolutely go back to using BBM (as it is a major feature people miss). Also, to get people to see how powerful BBM is and how much better it is on the new BB10 phones will definitely entice people to move back to BB10 in a years time, especially when BB10 will have more apps, people will start to see much more benefits from using a BB10 device!

As far as native vs. port: Much ado about nothing. The whole point of spending years perfecting the Android runtime was so that apps like Skype can invest fewer dollars into porting their apps to the BB platform. I don't know what you people expect, because even after the Blackberry 10 is 6 months old, it will represent a miniscule market share compared to iOS and Android. Why the hell would a (competing) company invest all this money re-writing their app from scratch if the functionality will be nearly the same just tweaking the Android verison?

Why is this terrible? the folks at blackberry have done a great job with the Android runtime. Thats why it's there, is to use, just like adobe AIR, HTML5 and all the rest.

People really need to chill, and be thankful that there is a low cost way for major app developers to convert their app so that you can use it.

Hey...I agree, port is fine with me...Native does run nicer and looks cleaner and keeps a constant flow between the OS, but i agree...port works great...just use Songza from the BB World and you will see how nice it is.

Just an additional point to your comment...BBRY has stated that the Android Runtime will be updated to run Jelly Bean in the near future...this is AMAZING as (i dont have stats) most Android devices are not even running Jelly Bean...We could have Jelly Bean and OS 10 on a device..pretty spectacular if you ask me

I appreciate what BB10 offers in terms of compatibility... but since the superiority of the BB10 platform on phones like the Z10 is directly related to its communication features (the "Hub") to have an Android port that doesn't integrate with the Hub and the Contact list is of lesser value than a Native app.

I have absolutely no doubt that I will be able to convince my friends and family who use skype to switch to whatever platform I decide is most effective. Maybe that's ooVoo, not sure, but when I go, I'm bring about 10 people with me.

Absolutely...native is the way to go and is much better with the integration with the HUB and all of that...but if you read my post up above I did state that Skype will have the Android Port which for the time being will be everything and more BB users have been asking for...Skype I am sure will be testing the market for BB Users and if they see a large enough user base on BB's then I am sure Skype will begin developing (or already is) a native app.

Folks only know what they've experienced. And quite a few people (see the forums) enjoy the playbook. But ported android apps for the most part tend not to have a great user experience. Low cost or not...the user experience should be paramount.

So, until I see something official, I will still hold out hope that the Skype application will be native. The Android ports work pretty well; however, going Native, as Kevin pointed out, is the way to go.

Can someone please tell me when Whatsapp is due? it is the only thing that i am waiting for to complete my Beautiful Z10 Trooper. I'm happy about skype, but for me personally, Whatsapp is needed and a big deal breaker for people who want a shiny new slice of the Z10 action.

Now I am still holding onto my bold 9900 because of whatsapp (group chat). Tried to sideload whatsapp to my Z10 - everything works pretty well except it couldn't access my contact. It doesn't seems like a hard problem to solve for the dev (hopefully)

I really want everyone to be on BBM but have to accept the sad reality that a lot of people use whatsapp :-(

N4BB is reporting that the port is a heavy tweak of the android app (e.g. the Android action bar look nearly identical to that of a native BlackBerry 10 app). Performance seems to be enhanced by the fact that its running on the Jellybean runtime.

My thoughts exactly, the runtime now is based on gingerbread. And there is no android device with gingerbread to support skype video call i think! So or the skype is coming without video call, or the runtime is going to upgrade as we now to support skype video call!

"Committed to the platform" = Tossing an android app into a converter? How many Android developers have then been "committed to BB10" without even knowing it? I'm disappointed. I see this as a pretty tough hit, as Skype has symbolized the "big apps" that BB10 needs to attract. We need the big apps to be native.

I'm wondering if a tweaked Android port is how Instagram will come. The Netflix app on my wife's Kindle, Windows 8 desktop, and my Tivo all look pretty similar. I'm sure there is a reason for that. In that case, it SHOULD be easy for Netflix to tweak its Android app and port to BB10..

To be honest i'm quiet feel unconfortable i was so happy that day when i saw via broadcasting on 30th of January that the Skype will be available to BlackBerry 10!
it's just not fair to have a droid port on BB10!
i wrote to microsoft and skype at all (i know they won't give me any normal reply) about that why they're not support BlackBerry?
there are skype for iphone for droids and windows phone(windows phones are ok)
what's their problem with BlackBerry? why can't they support BlackBerry?
if the others has native Skype! We'd ASK too!
how do we ask them to give a native skype app?
what should we do to get the skype?!

IF RIM had the man power they'd probably build the skype app themselves. From past experiences with windows live client etc they're probably are in talks with Microsoft to build one natively but in the mean time, if it plays, works well, then we're not going to be missing out on much.

Native probably might run smoother/faster but surely if its a good port the performance will be negligible.

We will obviously miss out on integration but BB10 is built to handle android apps. WIth this in mind, it goes to show that anything on android can RUN on blackberry, you just need the support and if you want to go that step further and have it as a native app, it'll run even better.

Im sure blackberry would love to be the lead platform but for now, they'll have to wait and grow.

And quit whining about the number of apps even the other platforms that have tons of apps can and do only use a small percentage of those cause the rest are crap its like bragging you have 10 pounds of potatoes but only 2 pounds are edible

Another low road approach for the app gap. If it was not for the android player this platform would be in serious trouble. It should be native not a port, but when your market is pretty much nothing blackberry will take what they get.

Maybe someday they can get rid of the Android player and actually stand on their own two feet again.

Until I see it working flawlessly on the Z10 I'm going to be skeptical. Generally I find that android apps don't perform on the same level as native apps. Too much stuttering and lag, also using Android menus takes away from the overall user experience.

When they mentioned Skype at launch I was excited...
If they were able to convince MS to bring it to BB10, no matter how they did it, it could open the doors to more devs. Like hey, MS is on board making an app for BB10, so should we!
Plus the fact I use Skype a lot to keep up with my contacts foreign and abroad.

Now I am still happy that it comes, but sadly not native. I never had a lot of good experiences with running anything in a run-time machine on a non-native platform. Not even beginning about what it already can't do: tie-ins with the hub, contact list, using cascades.

And I just cant understand how a big company like that, can't make it native in a few weeks, wheres there are Indie developers creating beautiful native things with just a small team.
Even the program language is based on the same mother language 'C', and they don't have to reinvent the wheel completely. Just look up what the changes would be in the Libraries and adjust some functions and calls. If a webdesigner can go from html and javascript to ajax and php, so could MS go to another native c language.
And like who at MS thought it was SO USEFUL to bring Skype to the Playstation VITA almost immediately at or just after launch. Thats like betting on a few million possible gamers using it versus possible tens of millions future mixed bb10 users from teenagers and professional starters to hardcore doers and top tier business people.

You do realize that the primary weakness of Android is the really badly designed OS, right? The apps are not the issue as much as the OS itself. See from my standpoint, they can port all they want as long as we do not have to use the Android OS. I am actually looking forward to the Jelly Bean runtime upgrade on BB10 since I can move a lot of my Android apps to the BB10 then.

It's great to be able to do an Android port on the Blackberry 10 OS, it's a great way to get popular apps quick....and in the meantime the native version can be develloped.
I'm sure there's a large number of app-devellopers sitting on the fence, just waiting to see how the new Blackberry is being received

Just thank MS that they decided to give us Skype despite being competitors for the "3rd Platform". Though I think this is a good start to have people adopt BB10 and a good way for developers to "test" the platform. Only time (and a bunch of evanglization from us) will tell if people will flock BB10 that MS will be forced to make Native (or allow Blackberry to do so themselves).

The game Tomb Escape started as an Android app in the Playbook... after a while, it became Native.

So bb10 can run Android apps, excellent. Don't see what's the big fuss. I hope this is just a step in the evolution of smart phones. In the future one should be able to access their apps from any platform they choose to use. Don't see why I should pay for the same app every time I change handsets ( just a thought ).

the most important thing is that it works, native or not . we also need integration into the hub as well as no crashing freezing blabla. not everybody is realizing how much time it took apple to build their app library, and rim is just starting to attract developers. android is working fine and most of the apps are free , so why no port them ? i would'mt imagine porting apple apps with their costs and all of that

The average consumer doesn't understand what is Native App or if it's an Android port, all they need to know is that the App is available. I've never heard anyone that walks into their favorite electronic shop and asks if the apps are ported over or native to any platform.

REALLY hoping the skype port doesn't require the jellybean runtime in the Android app player. If it does, then we won't see it for MONTHS (and BB can't wait for months). Also, Alec Saunders tweeted that Skype will be available by US launch.....

Maybe it's just me but I can't seem to wrap my head around this whole thing with Skype. I use it constantly as well, but i also like my 9900. I mean we live in mobile world, which also means being adaptable with our devices. We finally got it, albeit a port, but none the less its still skpye. It's not blackberry fault that Microsoft is being anal about its software. Don't we still have our laptops. I still do n use Skype on that when I travel. There are always workaround if you need it that bad, including Facebook, foursquare etc. Why complain all the time. If you all are still unhappy with bb10, just please move on to another platform that favors your needs. I like all the platforms but always very partial to my berry. It's my magic device to connect to those across the pond.

We forget the hard work blackberry has put into this awesome OS. And thank God they didn't follow the andriod path, just another yoyo in the crowd. It's ballsy to move on your own, and we as users cannot fathom the xtreme business risk to go this route alone. We have all become a bunch of spolied ingrates with our toys. I, for one, gonna enjoy this new and very fresh os in the coming months. Haven't used it yet but looks awesome.

As for Skype itself, I personally think it's an overrated software, half the time laggy and glitchy prone to any minor disturbances. BlackBerry will succeed through qnx; Phones, cars, appliances.
If people think blackberry is only about the phone, pfshhhhh right.

"Why complain all the time. If you all are still unhappy with bb10, just please move on to another platform that favors your needs. "

"We forget the hard work blackberry has put into this awesome OS. And thank God they didn't follow the andriod path, just another yoyo in the crowd."

I want Blackberry to succeed, and succeed very well. So well that they get back the respect they deserve. For that to happen I want all devs to acknowledge the true power in the platform and go all native on it. Whats the point if like 80% are running still on Android run-time, then they might as well adapted Android themselves and just add another flavor on top!

I don't want to be able to say:"we got Skype too", NO, I want to be able to say: "we got all the best apps everybody uses, but its just better on BB!".

I totally agree with you on the fact that berries need native apps optimized for 10. I really don't like all these ports esp since I find these andriod apps unsafe. Their permissions are very invasive to the os. I still think 70k apps for a brand new os is an impressive start. I think once devs learn to properly code for 10, the exclusive apps will come in time. It's similar situation to Sony ps3 when it came out. Programmers had a very hard time coding for the unique cell processed. And to this day, still really haven't fully tapped into its full potential. I think it's the same thing here.

I'm also still hoping to get a native support for SKYPE, XMPP and SIP. An a Android app is ok but not ideal. For me it doesn't count if BB has 100.000 or 1.000.000 apps in the store as long as basic protocolls & services are well integrated into:

A lot of expectations: Are you a developer? Have you ever 're-used' code? Then anything you've copied and pasted has not been 'built from scratch.' Why, if nothing has changed but a screen size and a menu scheme, would you rewrite an entire app from scratch?

Good news, didn't they improve the Android Player by leaps and bounds? If it was like one of those old Android apps that are super buggy, then it's like who cares. Since they improved it, it's better than than nothing. Although I would love it if they just integrated video chat capabilities with BBM. Team BlackBerry FTW!

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